Varroa movement controls to change

The
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry plans to reduce South
Island varroa movement controls as no varroa have been found
since the investigation started in June.

MAF Varroa
Programme Coordinator Paul Bolger said that the movement
controls around Murchison will be removed once final testing
of hives is completed next week.

“MAF is satisfied that
the Murchison detection is likely to have been the result of
laboratory contamination and further controls are not
warranted,” he said.

The Oxford investigation will
continue, with changes to movement control restrictions and
further testing of 7,500 hives over the next month.
Currently over 300 beekeepers are affected by movement
controls in North Canterbury. With the new controls the
number of beekeepers directly affected will be fewer than
30.

Mr Bolger said that the controlled area currently
covering the whole of North Canterbury will be reduced to a
10 kilometre zone around the Oxford property on Tuesday 27
July.

Movement restrictions will remain on apiaries within
this zone and any hives outside of the 10 kilometre zone
which are also owned by beekeepers that have hives within
the controlled area.

“If there is no further evidence of
varroa, the Oxford investigation will be called off by the
end of August. To continue with current controls would
seriously disrupt the commercial operations of beekeepers
and potentially those industries that rely on bees for
pollination services,” Paul Bolger said.

The varroa
investigation was initiated in June after a single varroa
mite was found on an Oxford apiary. The investigation was
extended to include Murchison following the detection of a
mite on the outside of a plastic bag containing sticky
boards used in varroa surveillance from a Murchison
property.

A meeting with Canterbury beekeepers will be
held on Thursday 22nd July at 7.30pm at the Sudima Grand
Chancellor Hotel, corner Memorial Ave & Orchard Rd
Christchurch Airport

For more information on the
South Island varroa investigation please go to:
www.maf.govt.nz/varroa

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